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Last week a number of worldwide representatives from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, or ASMI, were in Kodiak to discuss how to better market the state’s bounty around the globe. Joe Jacobson is the international program director for ASMI.

“Every year, twice a year, we get together with all of our overseas reps, and all of the ASMI international program staff for an annual meeting. And we try to do at least one of those meetings in an Alaskan community. So this year we’re here to meet among staff and also have our international marketing committee meeting. Which is generally comprised of, you know, the lead international sales staff of the major processors and some smaller processors and fishermen who are from around Alaska and then also in the Washington area.”

ASMI has a presence in about 21 countries around the world, but Jacobson
said a greater demand in the U.S. domestic market has really boosted
the price of certain Alaska seafood.
“One thing that the Japanese can attest
to is a lot of the products that they initially pretty much bought all
of – sockeye salmon, black cod – have really found a home in the U.S.
domestic market and elsewhere. And I think right now the strength that
you’re seeing in sockeye prices is coming from the U.S. domestic market
where a lot of it is going in fillet form. And U .S. consumers now
really, and even in Germany there’s a lot of people who really like
sockeye, but the U.S. domestic market is really driving the high prices
there. Because instead of going out as a headed and gutted fish, frozen
fish, and then being processed somewhere else, it’s being filleted in
Alaska and then going back to the U.S.”

ASMI’s representatives from Brazil, Europe and Russia spoke on
KMXT’s Talk of the Rock last week about the demand for Alaska seafood in
their respective countries. This week the show will feature
representatives from the Asian markets of China and Japan, as well as
the United Kingdom and France. Tune in to KMXT’s Talk of the Rock today
at 12:30 p.m. for round two with ASMI’s international marketeers.